1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pipette chip supply devices, sample analyzing apparatus, pipette chip supply methods, and sample analyzing methods, in particular, to a pipette chip supply device equipped with a conveying section for conveying a pipette chip, a sample analyzing apparatus, a pipette chip supply method, and a sample analyzing method.
2. Background
Conventionally, an analyzing device removably attached with a disposal-type pipette chip at the distal end of the dispensing nozzle for preventing pollution is known as an analyzing device (specimen analyzing device) equipped with a dispensing nozzle (suction part) for suctioning and discharging liquid such as specimen, reagent and the like.
Such analyzing device generally includes a pipette supply device for supplying a pipette chip to the dispensing nozzle one at a time so as to continuously perform the dispensing task. Various component supply devices have been conventionally proposed as a device for supplying components such as pipette chip (see e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-244957). A component supply device in which a plurality of components are accommodated in a hopper, and the component is conveyed one at a time by stirring the components accommodated in the hopper is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-244957.
However, the following problems arise when using the component supply device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-244957 as the pipette chip supply device. Static electricity occurs at the pipette chip due to friction between the pipette chips since the plurality of components (pipette chips) accommodated in the hopper are stirred. Thus, the charged pipette chips tend to attach to the supply path of the pipette chip, the pipette chips may attach to each other, and sorting of the pipette chips one by one becomes difficult. Furthermore, if the pipette chips are charged even after the pipette chips are sorted one by one, the pipette chips may attach to the supply path of the pipette chips, the pipette chips may attach to each other, and the supplying of the pipette chip to the dispensing nozzle (suction part) one at a time becomes difficult.
Conventionally, a pipette chip supply device for conveying upward the plurality of pipette chips accommodated in a stocker by a bucket conveyor, guiding the conveyed pipette chips to the hopper from above the bucket conveyor through a shoot (conveying path), and thereafter, conveying the pipette chips in the hopper by means of a conveying rail is known (see e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-19182).
However, the pipette chips sometimes accumulate in the shoot and the hopper at the path extending from the shoot (conveying path) to the hopper in the pipette chip supply device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-19182. In this case, the pipette chips conveyed by the bucket conveyor sequentially accumulate, and the pipette chips may not be conveyed.